Padang Besar marks the northernmost point of Malaysia’s railway network. As the gateway to neighbouring Thailand, it’s a key component in the region’s transport infrastructure, and processes thousands of travellers a year through its compact station.
If you’re in Kuala Lumpur and plan to travel overland to Thailand, the best option is to take one of the comfortable and frequent ETS trains heading north to Padang Besar.
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Route map and details
Covering a significant section of Malaysia’s West Coast line, the 527km route from KL Sentral to Padang Besar passes through Ipoh, Taiping and Alor Setar before arriving at the Thai border.
Keep in mind that trains on this route don’t call at Butterworth, which is joined to the mainline via a short 10km branch line.
Timetables
There are five ETS (Electric Train Service) trains per day from KL Sentral to Padang Besar:
| Train No. | KL Sentral | Padang Besar |
|---|---|---|
| EP9224 | 07:20 | 12:41 |
| EP9226 | 09:55 | 15:16 |
| EG9442 | 12:16 | 17:53 |
| EX9214 | 18:00 | 22:50 |
| EP9238 | 22:50 | 04:11 |
EP prefix = Platinum train
EG prefix = Gold train
EX prefix = Express train
How to buy tickets
The easiest way to buy train tickets in Malaysia is online rather than going to the station. You do pay a very small commission but the ease and convenience makes it worthwhile in our opinion.
Baolau is the best site to use for buying train tickets, they have access to the official booking engine, so you can easily see availability, timetables and prices.
Payment can be made using international credit card and PDF confirmation tickets are sent to your email address within a few minutes. This is the actual ticket you need to board the train, so there’s no need to exchange it at the station before travel. You may prefer to print the pdf out, but it’s also fine to show it on your mobile phone to the conductors and station staff.
Kuala Lumpur to Padang Besar train tickets
How much does it cost?
Standard class tickets are slightly cheaper on the Gold class train (EG9442) and slightly more expensive on the Express train (EX9214).
All services on this route have Standard class and Business class apart from the Gold train (EG9442), which only has Standard class.
| Train No. | Standard Class | Business Class |
|---|---|---|
| EP9224 | ✓ | ✓ |
| EP9226 | ✓ | ✓ |
| EG9442 | ✓ | – |
| EX9214 | ✓ | ✓ |
| EP9238 | ✓ | ✓ |
The prices for each class are:
| Class | Cost (MYR) |
|---|---|
| Standard class (Express) | 134 |
| Standard class (Platinum) | 126 |
| Standard class (Gold) | 102 |
| Business class (Express) | 204 |
| Business class (Platinum) | 194 |
Useful reads before you go:
Top 10 tips for Southeast Asia train travel
7 reasons why you should travel by train around Southeast Asia
5 AMAZING train journeys in Southeast Asia
10 essentials experienced travellers always take on trains in Southeast Asia
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